Gift Ideas You Can Make From the Dollar Store

Gift Ideas You Can Make From the Dollar Store

Gifts are getting more expensive by the minute, but there are times when you hate not to give a gift. Here are some ideas for those days when you want a great gift, but you just don’t have the extra money to spend.

School Supplies Clock – Teacher gifts are always hard to come up with, but this is perfect for the holidays or the end of the year. To get started, you need an array of small school supplies. Think paperclips, binder clips, small pencils, pencil sharpeners, and more. You’ll also need a simple wall clock, and some manuscript paper for a background. Start by popping the cover off of the face. You’ll want to use that to cut your background. Place your background on (you may need to glue it down), then decide which piece of school supplies you’d like to use in place of each number. Glue each on, and feel free to write or print the teacher’s name in the middle if you like.

School Supplies Clock

Bird House Boxes – Organization can be a problem in any home, but this dollar store craft means staying organized everywhere. To get started, you simply need some house shaped gift boxes, wood grain contact paper, a patterned paper for the top, and any embellishments you’d like. Start by wrapping the bottom of the box in your contact paper. Wrap the top in your patterned paper (glue it on if necessary). Cut the hole in the bottom of the box (like a birdhouse might have). Voila! You have an interesting gift that will fit right into any décor.

Valentine Bird House Box

Candy Box Magnets – Interesting magnets are a much needed gift in many households, and there are few people who wouldn’t love a cool candy box magnet as a small add-on to a cheap gift basket. This is a fairly simple project, too. Start with a small box of candy, like the kind you see at Halloween. Dots is a good choice, but there are many others as well. Cut a piece of Styrofoam to fit inside it, then glue the flaps shut. Grab a magnet, hot glue it to the back of the box, and you’re done. If you can find everything you need, the craft should cost less than you might expect!

Candy Box Magnet

Glasses Holder – Whether your recipient needs a soft-sided glasses holder for the bedside or one to store sunglasses in the purse, this is a great gift. Pick up a potholder in a pattern you like at the dollar store. In an inside-out fashion, pin it together. Use your sewing machine to stitch around the edges. Turn it right side out. Embellish as much as you like, but you already have the perfect glasses case.

Crafted Sun Glasses Case

Cake Stand – Cake stands make an amazing, and expensive looking gift, but to get this one, you’ll only have to drop a few dollars. Start by choosing a plate and a candlestick holder that you like and that fit well together. Grab some spray paint, too. Paint both pieces, join them with a heavy-duty bonding agent of some kind (Amazing Goop and E-6000 glue both work well), and finish it off with one final gloss coat. It will hold together beautifully.

Cake Stand

There are lots of times when you may want to come up with the perfect gift, but you don’t have a lot of cash on hand. These choices are ideal for those situations.